From Copenhagen and Aarhus, the two largest cities, European studies have extended their reach to virtually every university in Denmark during the past decade, propelled by the transformation of the EU into a more deeply integrated community of member countries.

The agreement of a 'big bang' enlargement of the EU at the European Council meeting in Copenhagen in December 2002 during the Danish presidency of the Council of Ministers, and the introduction of the euro were the main catalysts for the expansion – even though Denmark declined to join the common European currency. Now, as Denmark has once again assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers, the euro is finds itself deep in crisis.

The courses at the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University represent two main strands of European studies in Denmark. Copenhagen is strong on the politics and economics of the EU, whereas Aarhus focuses more broadly on European interaction – aspects such as culture, history and relations between ciitizens. Other European studies courses – at the University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, Roskilde University and Copenhagen Business School – fall into the latter, broader category.

"We have come a long way," says Professor Marlene Wind, director of the Centre for European Politics at the University of Copenhagen, often referred to as "Ms Europe" in Danish academic circles because of her pre-eminence in the field.

"There has been a maturing of teaching and research. We used to look into the inner workings of the EU institutions, including the deficiencies. Now, we are shifting some of our attention to national barriers being raised to EU legislation that might hamper the implementation of common policy," she says.

Wind’s centre is part of the university’s Department of Political Science, inaugurated as recently as 2007. An international master's programme has been slow to develop, but is now coming into being. The University of Copenhagen has had to step in to fund the centre, in the absence of interest from Danish educational authorities, Wind laments. "We turn out plenty of public officers for the diplomatic service," she argues.

At Aarhus University, European studies is integrated within the Department of Culture and Society. The point of departure for the university’s study programme was the geographic and historic entity of Europe, but now the focus has switched more towards the EU, as the EU itself has expanded.

"We look at cultural features and aspects of identity that might – or might not – be shared in Europe," says Jan Ifversen, head of studies and vice-dean of the Arts Faculty in Aarhus. "We go back in history in order to understand the region today. For instance, we examine the criticism of nationalism that fostered the idea of formal European integration."

The number of applicants for EU studies has been increasing over the years, though not at a uniform rate. There was a peak in the first half of the 2000s, reflecting the establishment of the eurozone and the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 27 member states. Then the battle against terror and subjects related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan attracted more students to studies relating to conflict and security.

More recently, and particularly in Aarhus, European studies have faced strong competition from global affairs programmes focusing on the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China.

"The EU might seem tired and worn under the weight of the euro crisis, but it nevertheless remains a very important area of study. That is the message we try to convey to potential students," says Ifversen.

Among the students who were not deterred is Ingvild Olsen. She recently completed her studies at Aarhus, with the EU the main focus of her undergraduate degree, master's thesis and PhD.

"I find it very intriguing how the EU member states are able to come together on issues in spite of the ingrained differences between them. I am also very curious about the decision-making process, uncovering what is not out in the open," she says.

Denmark’s European studies student population has become ever more diverse as the courses themselves have changed: these days the teaching is almost exclusively in English. It is not uncommon for around half the students to be from abroad – mainly from other European countries. At the University of Southern Denmark, which runs a small-scale European studies programme at the Sønderborg campus only 25 kilometres from the Danish-German land border, 75% of the students are from neighbouring countries, principally Germany.

The university is joining forces with the University of Flensburg across the border with Germany to develop a joint European studies programme – and, in the process, they have carved out a niche in border-region issues. "We see ourselves as being located on the outskirts of Denmark. So we have to try to attract students from all over Europe," says associate professor Martin Klatt, a German national and director of the programme in Sønderborg.

Will the Danish presidency of the EU help to attract more students to European studies in Denmark? Only time will tell. "We'll know come summer," says Klatt.